Russian people against the largest landfill in Europe

While waste mafia aims to open a massive landfill in the Arkhangelsk Region, protesters have been fighting for their land for months.

Today at the small place of Shies in the north-western Arkhangelsk region a giant landfill is being built for disposal of solid municipal waste, which will be imported by thousands of tons from Moscow and the Moscow region. An ecological disaster looms over the Arkhangelsk region, the Russian North and Scandinavian countries. According to official state expertise, he proximity of the chosen site to underground streams, swamps and rivers will make inevitable massive water and land pollution.

*Many thanks to TeleMatin (France) for the coverage

Following the massive protest campaign against the landfill in Volokolamsk (Moscow Region) which was intoxicating local people, the authorities didn't find a better solution than to export its waste to a poorer region.

Being from Moscow myself, I can’t stand the fact that oligarchs and the corrupted authorities don’t give a fuck about people’s health and future. Instead of recycling or pyrolysis of the waste, they will just store millions tons of it on the Europe’s largest landfill if nothing is done about it.

Since autumn, the locals and the inhabitants of Arkhangelsk and neighboring towns are protesting against the construction. People demand drastic reorganization of collecting, processing and storage of waste in Russia and in the Arkhangelsk region.

And now, for almost three months, the landfill cannot be built due to the fact that all roads have been blocked, they cannot bring any fuel there. The so-called ”CHOP” (private “armies” of the construction firms) have launched war against the protesters' camp which has been standing for 10 months already, not allowing the works to be started. However, the most recent footages show that the construction was launched.

In the Arkhangelsk region, activists demanding the abolition of the construction of a landfill in the village of Shies and blocking the road to the construction site for this purpose are waiting for the camp of Rosgvardia (National Guards) to storm their camp. On April 30, these paramilitaries arrived at Shies station in a special train, from which they also unloaded shields, helmets and weapons.

Who will protect the locals against the corrupted regional power, police and the greedy money bags that ignore the state laws and the moral values? What shall we leave behind? Europe's largest landfill site? I am proud to live in the same country with the people who defend their future and want to live in a clean country. And I want that more people from all over the world learn about their effort and the risk they take.

Shies is a place where there are no roads, running water and electricity.

Shies is a place where there is no television, cellular communications and the Internet, alcohol and drugs.

Shies is a place where there is no president, deputies and officials.

Shies is a place where there are forests and swamps, where birds sing and animals walk, where there are amazing northern people who came to protect their right to live on a clean Earth, breathe clean air, raise healthy children, arrived, putting everything off, to say "No" to waste and "Yes" to recycling.

"Here fight is going on for the clean North"

Seems like the forest defenders broke the fence around the construction site. BTW, anyone who comes to Shies from another city by train risks being arrested at the station. People who join the camp have to be as cautious as possible. And if you want to give some moral support to these proud people, here is the phone of the Arkhangelsk Region administration: +7 (818) 220-71-83. The corrupted local government will be quite surprised to hear questions coming in numerous languages of the world.

Photos are taken from the activists' social networks.